Machine for the production of box parts



March 7, 1939,

J. SCHMIEDEL MACHINE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BOX PARTS Filed July 24, 1937 4/55 1 49 JOHANNES SQHMIEDEL.

Patented Mar. 7, 1939 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,149,554 MACHINE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BOX RTS Application July 24, 1937, Serial No. 155,537' In Germany July 27, 1936 8 Claims.

' Machines are already known for the production of box parts with a neck insertion in which the neck strip is formed by being folded round a plunger or slider and is then moved towards the cardboard'blank by means'of a plunger and 'is pressed together with said blank to form a shell in which the side flaps of the box bottom are applied against the neck strip and are stuck fast thereto. In such machines, the application of the glue to the neck strip for sticking the latter to the bottom blank plays an important part, in order that at the moment the two parts are joined together, it possesses the correct consistency for effecting proper adhesion of the parts.

It has now been found that the requirements are best satisfied if relatively thin glue is employed, and if, between the application of the 'glue and the joining together of the parts to be stuck, a sufficient length of time is allowed to elapse for the glue .to set until it has the correct adhesive power. In order to achieve this, according to the invention, the neck strips after being coated with glue in the usual manner are supplied to a conveyor device which conveys them'in the transverse direction and the speed and length of which are so designed thatthe glue possesses the necessary consistency when the strip is removed and treated further. Preferably, the conveyor device is arranged between two box-forming devices in such a manner as to serve both devices simultaneously, that is to say, always two successive strips are fed simultaneously or one strip alternately to the two devices. Gluing is effected, however, by only one gluing device, since the latter must it is true operate quickly but has to be subjected to constant observation, so that the operation of the machine is thus simplified. Furthermore, the invention relates to the construction of the devices effecting the fashioning of the blanks supplied.

The accompanying drawing shows, for example, a constructional form of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through Figure 1 along'line 2-2 seenin the direction of the arrows,

Figure 3 is a side view of apart of Figure 1 on a somewhat larger scale,

Figure 4 is a front view of a part of Figure 1, likewise on a larger scale.

Figure 5 is a part of Figure 3 for a different position of the parts,

Figure 6 shows a box body produced by means of the device according to Figures 1 to 5.

' The lower part of the box which is to be produced comprises according to Figure 6 a neck 3, which is inserted into the lower part 4 of the box. The neck 3 is formed of a strip which is previously grooved at the bending edges. It is bent round so that the front edges meet at the point denoted by 5. The lower half of the outside is glued, then the neck strip thus prepared is fed to the blank serving to form the lower part 4 and then the side flaps of the lower part are bent up, so that they enter into engagement with the glued part I of the neck strip and adhere firmly thereto. Preferably also the blank for the lower part 4 of the box may be previously grooved or scored at the bending places, particularly when low-grade cardboard is employed for makingthe lower part of the box. The device is, however, of course also applicable to good cardboard, in which previous grooving or scoring or other previous treatment of the-blank is not necessary.

The strips forming the box neck are stacked in a stack S. The stack rests on a table 6 and is held between metal plates 7 and 8 directed vertically upwards. At the front side, the stack is held by a blade-like closure part 9 so that only one strip can be advanced at a time. The bottom strip is advanced by a feed device 10 preferably consisting of a reciprocating pusher and passes between a pair of rollers I l which engage it and draw it further. The strip is led past a gluing roller l2 which is only so narrow as to provide about half the strip with adhesive, namely the part which subsequently is to bestuck fast in the lower part of the box. The roller rotates in an adhesive container l3, and the strip is held against the gluing roller by means of a counterpressure roller. The strip then passes between rollers M on to a conveyor band [5, preferably provided with abutment ledges or the like, between which the strip'is inserted. During the further conveyance on the conveyor band, which is moved forward intermittently by any desired means not shown in the drawing, the neck strips are guided laterally by ledges l6 and H. The forward movement of the conveyor band may be effected by means of endless chains passing over sprocket rollers l8. s

The conveyor device l5 brings the neck strips in front of the devices serving for their fashioning. In the construction shown, one such device is provided on either side of the conveyor band. The two devices operate simultaneously, so that therefore at any time there are always two strips being shaped or two box bodies beingformed. The work may be divided so that after each two feed steps of the conveyor band I5, both fashioning 75; pins3l devices always take each a conveyor strip, the front strip in each case according to Figure 1 being fed to the right-hand fashioning device and case the two fashioning devices have twice thetime for carrying out the work than the stripfeeding device, as well as the device for expelling the necks from the stack and the device for glueing the necks.

In the constructional example, for inserting the strips into the fashioning device, a pair oftongs or a gripper H! is used, which is reciprocated'. by

means of a mechanism not shown in the drawing. It moves towards the conveyor device l5, where,

it seizes a strip 20, and on its backward movement draws the strip into the fashioning. device. The strip is shown in chain lines in the f ashioning devices.

Upon being drawn into the device, the strip lies with the fiat side downwards on two. flaps 21,

which. at the time of. receiving the strip have been turneddown, sothat, as shown in chain lines in Figure 3, the strip 2U-can rest fiat on them. Immediately afterwards, however, the flaps are turned into the position in whichthey are shown in Figure 3, pivoting about the pivot 22, so that the strip is erected; that. is, it now stands vertically on edge. In this position, it is likewise shown inFigure 3. in its centralportions against a pusher 23..which atthis time is in the position shown in chain lines in Figure 3. The'pusher. moves forward until it reaches the position shown in fulllines and in section in Figure 3, whereupon the flaps 2! move down again and the strip is moved laterally through guides 24- which bend the sides round, sothatthe strip has assumed a U-shape form. The pusher 23 moves forwardly until the strip bears with its back against 3 a support 25. Both zthe flaps 2|- and also the lateral guides 24 are nism not shown in the drawing. The fingers are 'adapted to enter suitable recesses on the pusher 23 and bear inwardly against the cross piece of the U-shaped strip and" hold the latter against the support 25. without taking the strip with it, and as-soon as it has returned until there is sufiicient' space, a

plunger 28 moves downward, the length and width of said plunger corresponding exactly'to the internal cross-section of the box which is to be formed. The" plunger is set in operation by a mechanism likewise not shown by means of the lever 29. The lever 29 has a slot engaging a pin onthe guide rod 32 connected to the plunger 28.

In order to maintain the strip inthe vertical direction during thedownward movement of the .plunger 28, that is to say, so that it cannot for instance be forced downwardly by theplunger 28, two lateral flaplike supports are provided which embrace the sidesof the strip in hook fashion. These two flaps are pivoted abouts (Figure 4) The strip is now supported The pusher 23 can now move back.

As soon as the plunger 28 has descended until it lies within the U-shaped strip 20, the lateral guides 24 move towards one another and thereby fold the projecting ends of the U-shaped strip around that side of the block or plunger 28 which is opposite the connecting piece between the two side pieces, so thatcnow the strip has the closed rectangular form in which it is shown in Figure 6.

The strip must now be moved further downwards in order to be united to the lower part of the box. So that, during this, the strip will not slip upwardly off the block, a holding arm 33 oscillating about a pin 34 is provided. Mounted on the same pin isa lever 35 (Figures 3 and 5) which is rigidly connected to the arm 33 and which has an abutment surface by means whereof it bears against a corresponding abutment surface on a lever 36 loosely pivoted on the pin 34. The two levers 35 and 3B are connected together by a. spring 31 and the second end'of' the lever is engaged by alink 38, the. upward and downward movements of which cause the arm 33, in consequence, of the. describediconnection, to be swung into one; of: the positions according to Figure-:3 ori-Eigurebz. In the position according to Figure 5, theshoulder on the lower. end'of the arm. lies over the: strip. Zilvand secures it. from upward movement: and clamps the neck-.stripzfirmly on the plunger-core at the jo=int,,which strip is. not held" to the. bending die anywhere; during thedownward movement ofjthe plunger 28:

In the meantime, a blank for forming the lower part of the boxhas been advanced, for example by means of a ram 39. This blank 40, aswillbe seenin Figures 3 and 5, rests on abending die 4!. The latter consists of four parts guided in ram fashion which form with their inner sides'a rectangle, and which are flared at. the top, in bevelled or curved form. Theblank hascut-out corners and therefore comprises a base, the size of which corresponds to the sizeof the plunger 28 plus the strip 20 placedaroundit, and to which are secured sideflaps on all four sides.

The plunger 28 now moves with the strip around it towards the blank 40 and forces the latter into the bending die. The side flaps are bent upwardly by the inclined surfaces of the bending die 41, that is to say they are moved against the neck strip. In'order to secure a good application of the side flaps against. the neck strip and inorder thereby to-ensurefirm adhesion of the-'sideflaps on the neckstrip, itis possible to move the four parts 41 forming the side of the bending die towards one another or towards the plunger 28. The parts 4| are'guided. for this purpose by means of pins or the like 42 in bearings mountedonthe machine table 43. The means for moving them forwardare not shown in thedrawing, preferably they will be allowed toact on the parts i-l with the interposition of a spring. While the blank lies on the-table 43 of the machine, it is held by lateral guides M.

During the downward movement of the plunger 28, the finger 33" mustlikewise move downwards. For this purpose, the bearing of the pivot 34 is secured-to-a vertically guided'slide piece 45. This slide piece by means of a transverse arm 46 rests on the guide rod 32of the plunger 28 and is held permanently in engagement therewith by means of aspring" 41. As soon, therefore, as the plunger 28 descends, the arm 33 also moves with it. Its downward movement, however, islimitedby a stop screw.. 48.:whichbears'againsta corresponding stop; on. the .ma'chineirame; as: soon. as. the neck with the plunger 28 has descended so far that it said holding arm with its driving device so that lies between the side flaps of the blank of the lower part, then the arm 33 must be stationary and the plunger 28 continue to move alone, in order that the lower part of the box may now pass through the bending mould.

As long as the box lies within the bending mould, it is supported by a plate 49 situated therebelow, movable in a vertical direction and held resiliently upwards. When the lower part of the box has been finished, the plunger 28 continues to move downwards and ejects the box downward from the bending die. The table 39 also moves downwards, guided by the guide rods 50 and arrives at the position shown in chain lines in Figure 3.

The plunger now moves upward again and in order that the box may now be stripped from the plunger, two holding devices 54 (Figure 4) are provided which bear resiliently against the box and engage over the sides of the box part by means of a projection or tooth provided on their surface facing the box and thereby hold the box when the plunger moves upward. The box is now ejected by a pusher or the like 55 (Figure 3) and passes on to a conveyor band 56 on which it is carried away.

Of course, these devices may be constructed differently in detail. Thus, for example, the strip serving for the neck may also be cut off an endless reel and grooved or scored in the same working operation and then fed to the conveyor rollers. Likewise the blanks which form the bottom may be removed as desired from a stack or punched and cut out of an endless band.

In the construction shown, the plunger 28 with the neck strip moves towards the blank, but of course the bending die il with the blank could equally well move upwards towards the neck strip. Instead of applying the adhesive strip to the neck strip, the side flaps of the blank may also be coated with glue on the interior.

I claim:

1. A device for forming the neck from a strip, comprising, in combination two plungers, means for moving the one plunger towards the strip set on edge, lateral folding devices between which the strip is folded into a U-shape by said plunger, fingers serving to hold the U-shaped strip during the return of said plunger, recesses on said plunger which are engaged by said fingers, means for moving the second plunger at right angles to the direction of movement of the first plunger thereby entering the U-shaped strip, means for finally folding the strip around said second plunger and a holding arm provided on the said second plunger adapted to be applied laterally against and on the top of the strip at the side comprising the joint.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which hook-shaped arms are provided adapted to hold the strip underneath during the folding operation and projecting below the strip and adapted to be swung back as soon as the movement of the completely formed neck towards the box bottom commences.

3. A device according to claim 1, characterized therein that a guide is provided on which said holding arm is mounted, said guide moving with the second plunger and connected therewith yieldingly in order to render the magnitude of the movements of plunger and holding arm independent of one another.

4. A device according to claim 1, characterized therein that a spring is provided connecting it is applied resiliently against the folded strip.

5; A method for the production of a box part with a neck insertion, in which the neck insertion is formed by wrapping a strip round a plunger, then moving the wrapped strip with the plunger against a cardboard blank constituting the bottom of the box and passing the strip together with the blank through a die thereby bending up the side flaps of the blank, in combination with previously feeding the strip longitudinally past a gluing device, and conveying the strip from the gluing device and transversely of its length and thereupon drawing the strip in its longitudinal direction for assembling in a formed box part towards which said strip is drawn, the conveying speed of the said strip being so proportioned that the glue applied has time to assume the consistency necessary for firm adhesion.

6. A method for the production of box parts with a neck insertion, in which the neck insertion is formed by wrapping a strip round a plunger and moving the strip and plunger against a cardboard blank constituting the bottom of the box and passing said strip and blank together through a die thereby bending up the side flaps of the blank, in combination with previously feeding such strips forming the neck insertion past a gluing device, and conveying the strips from the gluing device first longitudinally of their length and then transversely of their length and subsequently conveying two strips simultaneously longitudinally of their length, each towards a separate device for forming the box parts, the conveying speed of said strips being so proportioned that the glue applied has time to assume the consistency necessary for firm adhesion.

7. A method for the production of box parts with a neck insertion, in which the neck insertion is formed by wrapping a strip round a plunger and moving the strip and plunger against a cardboard blank constituting the bottom of the box and passing said strip and blank together through a die thereby bending up the side flaps of the blank, in combination with previously feeding such strips forming the neck insertions past a gluing device, and conveying the strips from the gluing device first longitudinally of their length and then transversely of their length and subsequently conveying alternately two successive strips longitudinally of their length, each towards a separate device forming the box parts, the conveying speed of said strips being so proportioned that the glue applied has time to assume the consistency necessary for firm adhesion.

8. A method for the production of box parts with a neck insertion, in which the neck insertion is formed by wrapping a strip round a plunger and moving the strip and plunger against ,a cardboard blank constituting the bottom of the box and passing said strip and blank together through a die bending up the side flaps of the blank, in combination with previously feeding such strips past a gluing device, then conveying the strips in a flat position from the gluing device and transversely to their length, and drawing the strips longitudinally of their length and in a fiat position towards a device for forming the box part and subsequently raising the strips on edge by a rotation through the speed of said strips being so proportioned that the glue applied has time to assume the consistency necessary for firm adhesion.

JOI-IANNES SCHMIEDEL. 

